Director’s Statement
The establishment of the Institute of Education by the University of Nigeria at the time was ignited and propelled by the aim to “relate its activities to the social and economic needs of the people of Nigeria. Also to improve on teachers’ quantitative and qualitative deficiencies of in the Nation’s primary and secondary schools through effective training and re-training of teachers in content, pedagogy and innovative techniques help to enhance their professional development for continuous upliftment of teachers more courses were developed at the post graduate Diploma: Citizenship Education, Gender studies, Care-giver Education and Women Education (Health Entrepreneurship and Leadership courses) Global partnership Education with DIFD.
Brief History
A law to establish a University in the Eastern Region of Nigeria was passed in 1955. While that date marks the formal beginning of the history of the University of Nigeria, the enactment of this legislation was, in fact, the culmination of many years of thought and discussion by several Nigerian leaders, inspired particularly by the then Premier of the Eastern Region, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.
The University was formally opened on 7th October 1960, as the climax to the Nigerian Independence celebrations in the Eastern Region. Her Royal Highness, the Princess Alexandra of kent, representing her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Nigerian independence celebrations performed the opening ceremonies and laid the foundation stone of one of the University’s buildings.
The University has been co-educational since its inception. It has enabled male and female students to engage together in academic, vocational and extra-Curricular activities thus developing their personalities to the higher levels of human experience in an atmosphere where young men and women can grow individually, academically and professionally through the dignity of labour, sacrifice, and self -determination. This approach to higher education has contributed immensely to the intellectual and social progress of the nation through the establishment of faculties centres institutes and Department.
The Institute of Education was inaugurated as an independent academic unit in the University of Nigeria in 1963. “To sponsor and aid teacher training colleges, to conduct research on current Classroom issues problems and to be responsible for short courses of the refresher type in teaching Education.